The Safely Home Campaign is a nationwide movement that advocates for growing community capacity to support all youth and young adults to live safely at home with their families and in their home communities and promotes reducing and preventing unnecessary out-of-home placements. Research shows that when young people are safely supported in their homes and in their communities they are more likely to reach their full potential as healthy, well-rounded, and engaged members of our society.

The overarching objective is for young people (ages 0-25) at risk of being removed from their homes and separated from their families to stay safely home with the supports and resources they need to build cognitive, emotional, physical, and social well-being. This Campaign addresses these needs with practical, community-based approaches for child welfare, juvenile justice and behavioral health systems.

1

Reduce Out-of-Home Placements

Change practices and incentives so children and young people are not removed from their families and placed in foster care, group homes, residential treatment centers, youth prisons or detention centers or other types of congregate care.

2

Redirect Dollars

Make more responsible use of our resources by reducing out-of-home placements and redirecting funding to community-based programs that support young people as they develop into contributing members of society.

3

Expand Community-Based Alternatives

Create a continuum of family-focused, neighborhood based, flexible, individualized services that include services for youth and families most at risk of separation regardless of where they live.

CAMPAIGN GOALS

Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities

Improve Community Safety

Redefine public safety as something characterized by safe places in the community that provide the opportunity for positive connection, growth, health and play, which are the building materials that that allow them to thrive.

6

Increase Successful Outcomes for Youth

Connect young people to the services, supports and adults that help them develop intellectually, socially and emotionally so they can improve their skills and realize their goals.

4.6

million youth
are disconnected
from school and work
Source

442,995

children were removed from their families in 2016
and placed in foster home/congregate setting
Source

3-6

youth can be served in the community
for the cost of one youth incarcerated
Source

2x

In 22 states, the percent of black children in foster care
is
TWO TIMES the percent of black children in the overall populationsSource

1%

every new organization formed
to confront violence and build stronger neighborhoods
leads to 1% DROP
in violent crime and murder
Source

47,303

young people are in congregate care settings on any given day
due to involvement with the juvenile justice system
Source

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN

The Safely Home Campaign is a collaborative movement that will achieve its goals with the help of its partners. If your agency or organization supports the six goals of the Safely Home Campaign, please join us.

The Safely Home Campaign is a social justice movement led by Youth Advocate Programs (YAP) and focused on bringing and keeping young people safely home. Since 1975, YAP has partnered with youth, families and governments to provide families with the support they need to stay together and achieve stability. Our focus has been working with young people with the most complex needs in the behavioral health, child welfare and juvenile justice systems, YAP’s approach includes support for young people with complex needs and their families through our wraparound advocacy model and subsidized employment.

100% of our services take place in the homes and neighborhoods of the youth and families we work with.